1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to artificial candles, and more specifically, to an artificial candle that mimics a real candle's flame which floats on water.
2. Description of the Related Art
The earliest evidence of the existence of candles has been found in Egypt. North American Indians in the first century made candles from burned oily fish wedged into a splintered stick. Candles over thousands of years have continued to be manufactured with very few changes, other than style and composition. Braided wicks and paraffin were introduced in the early 1800's. There have been several patents on floating candles. However, these candles are actual candles burning a structure made to float on water.
U.S. Des. Pat. No. 245,936, issued to Gary B. Roush on Sep. 27, 1977, and U.S. Pat. Des. No. 266,365, issued to Robert A. Rosenbaum on Sep. 28, 1982, both illustrate an ornamental design for a candle float. U.S. Pat. No. 2,234,903, issued to Thomas J. Muench on March 11, 1941, describes a floating candle. The candle is made of wax and is lighter than water. As it is consumed, it forms a hollow shell-like vessel of the candle material.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,234,303, issued to Fernando M. Neugert on Nov. 18, 1980, describes a two-part float assembly adapted to float upon a molten surface of fuel. U.S. Pat. No. 5,101,328, issued to Lee H. Hai on Mar. 31, 1992, describes a candle holder which includes a bowl having a recessed portion for receiving a candle, a housing securely attached to the bowl, and air inlet tubes for introducing fresh air into the housing. A floating member is provided for retaining an air inlet port of each air inlet tube to be above a water level when the candle holder is place into the water.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,193,994, issued to Hans-Ludwig Schirneker on Mar. 16, 1993, describes a candle with at least one body comprising a material which is solid at room temperature such as wax or paraffin and a wick. The top end of the candle has a tubular headpiece which surrounds the candle body and moves downwards with the burning-down of the candle.
All the above mentioned patents describe real combustible floating candles. The problem with combustible floating candles is the tendency for the water and surrounding air to extinguish the flames. The life of most candles is very short and usually measures in hours. Candles bring about a mystical and soothing aura, which has prompted the desire to construct a light source that appears candle-like but is powered by electricity to ensure a long life.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,839,784, issued to Ling-Young Lin on Jun. 13, 1989, describes a non-floating electrically powered candle-like lighting device having a candle body with a bulb disposed at the top that is mounted on a candle holder. The candle holder is further secured to a candle base and provided with a sucker at the concaved bottom in such a manner that the base can be spun freely with respect to the fixed sucker. U.S. Pat. No. 5,152,602, issued to Andrew Boschetto on Oct. 6, 1992, describes an electric candle that has an electrical circuit for sensing ambient light conditions and automatically turning on and off electrical current. U.S. Pat. No. 5,863,108, issued to Gabor Lederer on Jan. 26, 1999, describes a non-floating decorative holder for an electrically powered candle emulation device. The holder comprises a transparent hollow cylindrical member. Appropriate candle emulation electronics are placed into the holder to provide the effect of a wax candle contained within an etched and colored decorative holder.
Floating candles have been the trend at most weddings and social events. However, the real combustible floating candles tend to create a host of problems. An ideal floating candle would be powered by electricity and watertight. This would eliminate a problem caused by the smallest wind velocities that extinguish most burning candles. This would also prevent the tendency for the water in which the candles are floating to extinguish the burning candles. An electric candle would not be susceptible to being extinguished, therefore eliminating a need to re-light real combustible candles floating in the middle of a pond or pool.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singularly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus floating candles solving the aforementioned problems is desired.